on o on our broadcast tonight, shootout at l.a.x. a gunman firing an assault weapon blows through security, making his way deep into the terminal as thousands of passengers scramble. tonight what we have learned about the suspect, the dead and wounded and a still chaotic scene at one of the busiest airports in the world. the ax falls for more an 47 million americans struggling to put food on the table. tonight time has run out. hacking the royal family. how prosecutors say the tabloids listened in on private communications of william, kate and harry as a sensational trial now gets underway in london. and the power of one. an extraordinary athlete. the fastest in her sport, inspiring so many because of what they have in common with her. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. at 9:30 on a friday morning l.a.x. is a very busy place. and this morning a lone gunman with an assault rifle entered and apparently opened fire at a security check point killing one tsa agent, wounding several more before he himself was taken down. he managed to make his way deep into the terminal to the gate area as thousands of passengers were forced to scramble and hide and avoid what became a shootout. air traffic was shut down. the facility was frozen in place. tonight it remains a crime scene as we learn more about the gunman, the dead, and the wounded. we have it all covered here tonight beginning with nbc's miguel almaguer at l.a.x. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. even at this late hour, the

terminal behind me is one of many that are just beginning to re-open. police say a 23-year-old gunman entered a terminal not far behind me, opened fire, injuring seven, killing several before he injured. all of this taking place before the morning rush. you see a man in the wheelchair covered in blood. 9:30 a.m., shots fired inside terminal 3 at l.a.x. chaos, confusion, bloodshed. federal officials say a lone gunman, 23-year-old paul ciancia, a resident of los angeles from new jersey, walked inside the terminal, then pulled out this assault rifle from a bag. >> he proceeded up into the screening area where our tsa screeners are and continued shooting. they tracked the individual through the airport and engaged him in gunfire. >> reporter: police say the suspect killed a transportation security administration employee and wounded three other officers before continuing to fire rounds inside the terminal.

>> the officers didn't -- i repeat, they didn't hesitate. they went after this individual and confronted this individual in our airport. >> reporter: screams in panic filled the terminal. >> there is a shooting in terminal 3. >> i just heard shots. the guy literally came in from the glass doors entering like nothing was wrong. just started shooting everyone. >> everyone dropped to the ground, started crawling along. just staying as low as possible. >> reporter: passengers poured onto the tarmac to escape the bloodshed. the mayhem unfolded on social media. >> oh, my gosh. >> shooting in terminal 3. they are evacuating. >> reporter: seven were injured, six taken to the hospital. the wounded carried to safety any way they could. a makeshift triage preparing for the worst. >> it was terrifying. it was horrible. it took me an hour to stop shaking and feel better. >> reporter: with the gunman in

custody, police swept the terminal. every restroom, rooftop and parking garage checked for evidence. >> there was additional rounds that this gunman had. more than a hundred more rounds that could have literally killed everybody in that terminal today. >> reporter: the nation's third busiest airport with 167,000 passengers here every day effectively shut down. flights grounded and delayed for hours. traffic snaked for miles near l.a.x. passengers wheeling their bags from up to a mile away. tonight terminal 3 is closed, but much of l.a.x. has re-opened. the investigation into the shooting, including the motive, could take weeks. this was the first tsa agent ever killed in the line of duty. we are told that the officer was a detection behavior officer. that's someone who specializes in people exhibiting suspicious

behavior. brian? >> miguel almaguer outside l.a.x. tonight. thanks. pete williams, our justice correspondent, has been working all day to find out more about this suspect. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. they say he's paul anthony ciancia, age 23, originally from new jersey. they say he was carrying written material which they described as viciously critical of the government in general and tsa in particular. police in pensville, new jersey say he sent his younger brother a text message earlier today in which he said he was not going to be alive much longer. police say when the family notified them of them, they called authorities in los angeles who checked his apartment, but found he was not there. they say his roommates said they knew of nothing wrong. state and federal officials say airport police shot ciancia several times in the chest. they discovered he was carrying a shoulder bag containing this written material they describe as harshly anti-government with specific references to the tsa. both state and local officials

have no record of trouble before from paul ciancia. all the shooting victims were tsa employees. investigators say he seemed to be singling them out and even asked some people he encountered in the airport if they worked for the tsa. brian? >> pete williams with the latest on what we know from our d.c. bureau. pete, thanks. bill bratton is with us, former chief of the lapd and the nypd. these days a security consultant and nbc news analyst. sadly, it seems we only get to talk to you after another episode of gun violence. this is your former turf. a place you were charged with protecting. that ring of tsa, commissioner, does not have weapons traditionally. you don't think the answer will be to weaponize concentric circles as you work your way into the airport? >> there will probably be a call to do just that. i would advocate against that trying to train 50,000 people to handle firearms in a very contained situation. better to leave it so the highly

trained police personnel such as those that went into action today. >> as we said, l.a.x. on a friday morning, 9:30, busy place. hard to name a time when l.a.x. isn't busy. the problem with running an airport, you've got to have the free flow of people. isn't that exactly what makes them increasingly fertile targets for random violence and organized terrorism? >> while the violence occurred at the tsa checkpoint and maybe proceeded farther into the terminal, it could have just as easily occurred on the sidewalks outside. those terminals at 9:30 in the morning, there are hundreds of people lined up outside checking baggage. the fact that he was targeting tsa employees, you would certainly go to the point where most of them would congregate. >> final word. do you think the system worked as best it could this morning? >> based on the quick response of the officers and ability to take him down before he was able to do more injury, i think it worked. it was a security breach, certainly, but one that was

contained quickly. >> commissioner, thank you as always. appreciate you coming in tonight. another big story affecting tens of millions of americans who rely on food stamps to feed their families. as of today, they're going to have to get by on less. about 5% less because a special part-time recession boost to the food stamp program has expired. nearly 48 million people in this country, a lot of them working people, in this country receive food stamps. that's one in seven americans. one in four american children. in our continuing coverage of poverty in america we call "in plain sight" mike taibbi has the report tonight from central california. >> reporter: for connie rhoads, a wife and mother of three, now laid off after ten years of teaching, relying on food stamps has been tough enough. >> it's really hard to always tell them no, you can't have that food item or you can't have that necessity for living. because i don't have the money to buy it for you.

>> reporter: and now it gets harder. the cut in federal food stamp funding will hit home in places visalia, california. with unemployment stuck at 15%, and underemployment mostly in seasonal agricultural work making food stamps a necessity. broken down, the cuts don't sound like much. $11 a month for an individual, $36 for a family of four. here's one view of what $36 buys at the local food pantry. here's another way to look at it. suppose for your family of four you will cook a chicken. this one is big enough for leftovers, a can of peas and pasta. nothing fancy. four meals for $8. if you're a family that relies on food stamps that $36 cut translates to 16 to 20 meals. that has joe blackburn, a singl translates to 16 to 20 meals. that has joe blackburn, a single father of four whose medical issues cost him his corrections officer job already making painful decisions. >> i couldn't buy them halloween candy this year. because i just couldn't afford

it. >> reporter: and daisy's two kids don't know their single mom is thinking of selling her old car and finding another way to get to her part-time job as a store clerk. >> i barely have enough to feed my kids and pay the bills. >> when a child goes hungry, i mean -- what kind of country allows a child to go hungry? >> reporter: the safety net for tens of millions of americans, a little less secure. mike taibbi, nbc news, visalia, california. >> the prime minister of iraq nori al malaki came to the white house to personally plead with president obama for u.s. military and intelligence assistance to put down the violent insurgency that's gotten worse since the u.s. pulled out of there two years ago. thousands of iraqis have been killed in bombings that have become almost routine and really have never gone away since the height of the war after the u.s.-lead invasion. the president said he made no promises. tonight u.s. and pakistani officials say an american drone

strike has killed a big target, the leader of the taliban in pakistan. hakeem molamasoud is believed to had $5 million u.s. bounty on his head. he's believed to have been behind that failed car bombing in times square back in 2010. his death, if confirmed, comes as drone strikes are under scrutiny for the often killing innocent civilians nearby. as we reported last night there is a new bombshell of a book about to come out that's revealing some of the best-kept secrets of the most recent race for the white house from republican back stabbing to president obama's feelings about president clinton to a possible move to switch running mates. nbc's andrea mitchell has the book report tonight. >> hey, guys. how you doing? >> reporter: joe biden looked in charge in the oval office today. but two years ago the president's top aides polled whether to dump biden for hillary clinton. according to the book "double down" biden dodged a bullet he

never saw coming when focus groups proved adding clinton wouldn't improve the president's odds. >> i think it's important to know that campaigns and pollsters as part of campaigns test a lot of things. >> reporter: biden was later shut out of campaign strategy sessions after he endorsed gay marriage two weeks before mr. obama planned to. >> i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women -- >> reporter: the book has new details on obama's edgy relationship with bill clinton. when the two tried to bond over a round of golf, obama couldn't even finish 18 holes telling an aid, i like him in doses. and he held obama captive after a campaign event in new york. they were supposed to share a one on one meal, but obama couldn't handle any more undiluted clinton so invited aides to join. other nuggets, the mitt romney

campaign dubbed their vice presidential search project goldfish and gave code names. marco rubio was pescodo. paul ryan of wisconsin, fishconsin. chris christie was pufferfish. romney ridiculed chris christie's weight and passed him over for vice president because, quote, the garden state governor's background was littered with potential land mines. >> i have a great relationship with the romneys and the campaign. it's all just trying to make sure they sell as many books as possible. >> reporter: a book with new insights into christie, hillary clinton and biden, all potential rivals in the next campaign. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >> one more political note. mitt romney is david gregory's exclusive guest this sunday morning on "meet the press." still ahead for us tonight, the private lives of the royal family as well as music and hollywood royalty as well. exposed to the world. explosive allegations as a scandalous trial breaks wide

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as we said, a sensational trial is under way in london and involves how it is some newspapers seem to know everything going on in the lives of celebrities, including members of the royal family. well, prosecutors say it's because they were listening in on their lives. our report tonight from nbc's kier simmons in london. >> reporter: the private lives of royals and the famous, always good for a headline. but now it's journalists making headlines in court. accused of conspiring to spy on william and kate when they were dating by hacking their cell phone messages. even offering a military official money for pictures of william at a costume party in a bikini. on trial, former top editors of the news of the world, now defunct, and the sun owned by rupert murdoch's news corporation, which also owns the

wall street journal. rebecca brooks, some say she's like his daughter, accused of paying military officials for private information about servicemen. >> one day the details of this case will emerge. >> reporter: andy colson, said to have authorized payments for a secret royal phone book, he later became the british communications director. >> this is a sad day for news of the world. >> reporter: in court it's been revealed they had a six-year affair while splashing sordid stories based on what was heard on hacked phones. among the alleged victims, angelina jolie, hugh grant, paul mccartney, britain's prime minister. even a murdered teenager girl. one story was about prince harry written by reporters who listened to a cell phone message he left for a friend. the story claimed he'd broken the rules during his 2005 military training by asking for help while studying for a test. i need a write an essay quickly, harry supposedly said. i need some info.

but it was how murdoch's tabloids got information which became the scandal. his editors so thirsty for sensational stories it landed them in court. kier simmons, nbc news, london. we're back in a moment with the late night punchline that turned out to be truer than anyone knew. w.sti know daddy. [ dad ] oh boy, fasten your seatbelts everybody. [ mixer whirring ] bounty select-a-size. it's the smaller powerful sheet, that acts like a big sheet. look! one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. [ humming ] [ dad ] use less with the small but powerful picker upper. bounty select-a-size. and try bounty napkins. her busy saturday begins with back pain, when... hey pam, you should take advil. why? you can take four advil for all day relief. so i should give up my two aleve for more pills with advil? you're joking right? for my back pain, i want my aleve.

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last night here we reported last night here we reported the faa rule change allowing air passengers to use electronic devices, even during taxi, takeoff, and landing. we thought it might go into effect right away and it has. delta and jetblue are the first to have applied for and received faa approval effective immediately on both carriers. the photo was put out by jetblue with the message, attention crew members, this is what your flight should look like, personal electronic device policy in effect. "saturday night live" was, as usual, only kidding. they were making a joke about the obama care website debacle.

but it turns out they might have been just about right. it was in their opening sketch and parody of health secretary kathleen sebelius. she said the website was only designed to handle six users at a time and it got a laugh on saturday night. then figures came out released by republicans yesterday showing only six americans actually did sign up during the website's entire first day of operations. the obama administration fought back today. they said those figures are not official. they say the pace of enrollment will pick up and new numbers will be released later this month. a story from medicine making news tonight. the march of dimes says premature births in the u.s. have fallen to a 15-year low, mostly because of better health, better health care. but sadly the u.s. still ranks worst among the nations in the developing world. and a man who has always dispensed medical care his way has retired. there may never be anyone like

dr. russell donor of rushville, illinois. we profiled him last year in our "making a difference" segment. he was called the $5 doctor locally. because that's all he ever charged for an office visit. he is ending his practice and his clinic. he turned 88 this year. when we come back on a friday night, the inspiring story of the power of one young woman determined to win. here at fidelity, we give you the most free research reports, customizable charts, powerful screening tools, and guaranteed 1-second trades. and at the center of it all is a surprisingly low price -- just $7.95. in fact, fidelity gives you lower trade commissions than schwab, td ameritrade, and etrade. i'm monica santiago of fidelity investments, and low fees and commissions are another reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. oh! that's a lot of water up there. ♪

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finally tonight, about finally tonight, about 45,000 runners are expected to take part in this sunday's new york city marathon. last year you may remember runners were disappointed when the city called off the race because the city was badly torn up by hurricane sandy. well, this weekend a very determined young woman is trying to make her fourth marathon for the year. something no one's ever done. and that's just the beginning so the story of tatiana mcfadden. here is our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: watch tatiana mcfadden in the weight room, and you'll see why her coach calls her the beast. >> why does everyone else get sweet nicknames and i get the beast? what's wrong here? >> reporter: there is a reason for that name. the biceps, sculpted back

powering her wheelchair. we've been following her for miles at about 20 miles per hour. >> yeah. >> reporter: she's fast. >> she is fast. >> reporter: we chased her as she trained for this weekend's marathon. a new york win would follow chicago, london, and boston. >> tatiana mcfadden of the united states. >> reporter: no one has won so many major marathons in one year. but no one is quite like tat the -- tatiana mcfadden. she was born with spina bifida, a hole in her back, abandoned at a russian orphanage. >> my legs were atrophied behind my back. i walked around on my hands everywhere i went. >> on your hands? >> on my hands. my hands were like your legs. that's how i got around everywhere. >> reporter: her coach says it's part of the reason she's in such phenomenal shape now. adopted when she was 6, her american mother used sports to help strengthen her. she fell in love with racing and fought in court for the right to

be part of her high school track team. >> reporter: you changed the law. >> we changed the law. >> reporter: tatiana is an eight-time world champion. won three gold medals at the paralympics in london. as soon as the marathon is over this weekend, the full-time student will start training for sochi. that's right, the winter games. she started nordic cross country skiing last year. one sport wasn't enough for you? >> i just, i -- i love sports and i love competing. no matter what, i love it. >> reporter: it's a mistake, her coach says, to think she's over. no matter what, i love it. >> reporter: it's a mistake, her coach says, to think she's over come a weakness. she's embraced her strength and her past. >> any tough day that i have now, i have to think about i've been through tougher. this is going to be a breeze. >> reporter: the power of one athlete, a winner even before she crosses the finish line this weekend. kate snow, nbc news, champain, illinois. and that is our broadcast on this friday night and for this

week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night. and i just said, i don't know what's going on. i'm out of the terminal. i went out the emergency exit, down the stairs on to the tarmac and just ran. >> right now at 6:00, terrified passengers forced to run out of the airport to avoid the gunfire erupting inside. >> live pictures now down at l.a.x. flights are taking off. fwr gridlock for the cars. terminal 3 and the parking lots remain closed at this hour. good evening, thanks for joining

us. i'm raj matthai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. that was chaos on the air and the ground after a man carrying a high powered rifle stormed l.a.x. in a dead lly rampage. >> on the floor. on the floor. on the floor now. >> one tsa agent was killed and at least other people injured when the shooter opened fire in a busy terminal. this happened this morning. this cell phone video shows the fear and panic and confusion in the moments after. late this afternoon, police confirmed the alleged shooter is 23-year-old paul ciancia, a u.s. citizen. meanwhile, nearly 800 flights were impacted leaving passengers stranded here in the bay area and beyond. >> we have team coverage for you tonight on this developing story. arturo santiago is covering sfo. we begin with kimberly terry in san jose. multiple delays, cancelations. what are we talking about in terms of impact? >> reporter: jessica, we could see the ripple effect through the weekend, ale